Beauty and personal care · County · California
Salons, barbers and spas in Kern County, CA
How Kern County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #656 of 2,385 scored counties
#14 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 1,009
- 189 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 185
- +17.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $270.5M
- On personal care products and services · $949 a household
- Spending per listing
- $268K
- 26% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 35.4
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in Kern County
The site report maps the salons, barbers and spas on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Kern County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Households in Kern County spend about $270.5M a year on personal care products and services, or $949 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 1,009 salons, barbers and spas, that is $268K per business, 26% above the U.S. figure of $213K.
There are 1,009 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in Kern County as of September 2026. 189 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 15% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 35.4, 25% below the U.S. rate of 47.2.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in Kern County was 185 in 2023, up 17.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,540 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Official counts list 3,570 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in Kern County.
Population estimates put the population change in Kern County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kern County scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas, ranking #656 of 2,385 scored counties and #14 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Kern County compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all personal care products and services by the salons, barbers and spas counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 35.4 | 51.4 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $268K | $223K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,540 | 670 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.8% | +18.8% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $949 | $1,149 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 157 → 185+17.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 812
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $21.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3,570Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,009189 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,272The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in Kern County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the salons, barbers and spas on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Kern County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSalons, barbers and spas across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in California, with Kern County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 91 | 43 | 15.0 | $647K | +8.2% | #7 of 2,385 |
| 2Calaveras County, CA | 78 | 58 | 31.5 | $327K | +2.8% | #111 of 2,385 |
| 3Madera County, CA | 76 | 148 | 32.6 | $302K | +7.4% | #154 of 2,385 |
| 4Merced County, CA | 73 | 261 | 30.3 | $301K | +5.1% | #219 of 2,385 |
| 5Colusa County, CA | 70 | 17 | 22.6 | $426K | −0.1% | #280 of 2,385 |
| 6Mariposa County, CA | 68 | 15 | 20.0 | $474K | −1.2% | #329 of 2,385 |
| 7Amador County, CA | 68 | 64 | 39.8 | $260K | +3.2% | #358 of 2,385 |
| 8Mono County, CA | 67 | 16 | 27.9 | $405K | −5.4% | #369 of 2,385 |
| 9Yolo County, CA | 67 | 251 | 32.7 | $334K | +3.1% | #383 of 2,385 |
| 10San Benito County, CA | 67 | 87 | 42.3 | $290K | +8.6% | #391 of 2,385 |
| 14Kern County, CA | 60 | 1,009 | 35.4 | $268K | +2.3% | #656 of 2,385 |
Other business types in Kern County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
- Salons, barbers and spas60
- Hair salons77
- Barbershops54
- Nail salons49
- Spas and skin care70
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many salons, barbers and spas are in Kern County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,009 salons, barbers and spas in Kern County. 189 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 185 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 17.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 3,570 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kern County, CA spend on personal care products and services?
About $270.5M a year, or $949 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,009 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $268K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
Kern County has 35.4 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $268K, 26% above the U.S. figure of $213K. At the U.S. ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, Kern County would have about 1,272, against 1,009 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,540 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Kern County scores 60 for salons, barbers and spas (upper middle), #656 of 2,385 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern County. It maps the salons, barbers and spas on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for salons, barbers and spas · All 56 business types in Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Kern County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.